Haradrim
Haradrim, also called in Westron the Southrons, were a race of Men from Harad in the region of Middle-earth directly south of Gondor. At the time of the War of the Ring, the Southrons were in league with Sauron and fought alongside his orc army, riding atop gigantic, elephant-like Mûmakil. Once Sauron was destroyed, the Southrons joined forces with the Easterlings and Variags and their Kings started war on King Elessar, as well as off-continent enemies from since before the First Age. The Haradrim are said to be skilled archers and horsemen. In battle, they usually drove their Mûmakil into the enemy's ranks, causing terror and panic; with their foes in disarray, the Haradrim then flung spears and fired arrows down upon them from the covered canvas frame atop the mûmak. Their bows, possibly of compound design, were made out of composite materials like antlers and wood and used bamboo arrows from leather or bamboo quivers. Battle vs Albion Army (by SPARTAN 119) Ten Mumakil of a Haradrim Army loomed large in on the opposite side of the field, surrounded 100 horsemen and 1000 infantry, slowly advancing across the fields. Opposing them were a group of Albion Army, newly arrived from a portal into Middle Earth. They carried with them weapons this world had never seen before: muskets and cannon. On the order of the commander of the Albion Army, the ten massive bombards opened up on their foe. The guns gave off a thunderous roar as ten metal balls flew towards the Haradrim. The first shot impacted a group of Haradrim cavalry, blasting them into the air, as, at the same time, a cannonball struck a Mumakil right between the eyes. The great beast slumped over, killed instantly, the tower of its back collapsing as it fell. A second Mumakil was felled by the cannon fire, as were dozens of Haradrim soldiers. The Haradrim were shocked by the power of the new weapons, but kept moving forward. Soon, their foe would be in range of their arrows. At about two hundred yards, the Haradrim foot archers drew back their bows. A cloud of bamboo and steel flew out at the Albion army. Some of the arrows simply glanced off their plate armor, but some struck home. Some of the arrows ran through the head, bringing a quick death to their targets, however, other struck in limbs or the lower torso, bring excruciating pain, rather than immediate death. As the arrow made their impact, the Haradrim cavalry charged forth, firing arrows as they reached about 100 meters distance. A few Albion pikemen went down, but the rest stood firm. The Albion musketeers took aim from between the gaps in the pikemen, and the longbowmen fired above them. A could of smoke arose from the Albion line as the musketeers fired, shooting Haradrim cavalrymen off their horses, as arrows pierced their armor. Unable to break the Albion lines, the cavalry retreated. However, the Mumakil and infantry kept advancing forth, now only about 100 yards. The archers on top of the Mumakil fired arrows down on their foes, cutting down Albion soldiers seemingly at random. Through the chaos, the Albion commander yelled, "Stand firm! Artillery, target the elephants!" An Albion bombard crew who had just finished reloading turned the gun on the nearest Mumakil and fired. The blew through the great beast, causing it to let out a shout of pain as it fell to the ground, dead. The rest of the cannons fired, cutting down six of the surviving Mumakil. One of the remaining Mumakil was wounded by arrow and musket fire, while another had the tower on its back blown clean off. The giant elephants went berserk, trampling men, both Haradrim and Albion. One of the Mumakil knocked an Albion troll aside, before breaking through the lines and smashing a cannon to pieces. While the berserk Mumakil had broken through, the fierce resistance of the Albion infantry kept the Haradrim from taking advantage of the breach. Musket fire cut down rows of men, Trolls crushed the Haradrim under their giant clubs, while the Albion infantry's longswords proved more effective than the Haradrim scimitars in close-in melee. While the main ranks held off the Haradrim infantry, two smaller units surrounded the berserk Mumakil. Dozens of the men and two trolls were trampled by the beasts, however, the Albion musketeers and archers brought their weapons to bear on the creature's ankles. As the last two Mumakil were brought to their knees and were finally overwhelmed, the Haradrim infantry were forced into retreat. Even after they turned and fled, hundreds more were shot dead by arrows and muskets, or else cut down by retreating Albion troops. Less than quarter of those Haradrim who went into battle left the fight alive. WINNER: Albion Army Expert's Opinion While the Mumakil were formadible adversaries and the Haradrim were masters of mounted warfare, the Albion Army had much more advanced technology, most notably muskets and cannon. The cannon could eliminate the Mumakil from a range, while the musket fire was effective in volleys, and had as much a psychological impact on soldiers unfamiliar with gunpowder as it did a direct impact. To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here Category:Book Warriors Category:Warriors Category:Fictional Warriors Category:Ancient Warriors Category:Cavalry Category:Lord of the Rings Warriors Category:Evil Warriors Category:Fantasy Warriors Category:Medieval Warriors Category:Movie Warriors